About Brandon Ballengée

Originally trained as a biologist, Brandon Ballengée employs photography and collage to address the natural world of insects and animals. Interested in the relationship between science as a tool to study the natural world and its role as the driving force behind the unintended destruction of the environment, he often works in collaboration with biologists and ecologists to document phenomena such as toads and frogs that suffer the effects of pollution or the extinction of certain bird species. In a 2007 series, Ballengée carefully excised from John James Audubon’s well-known prints the images of birds that have recently become extinct. “My practice as a scientist informs and inspires my art,” he says. “While conducting primary research biological studies, scientific methods and standards are rigorously followed. The art is an expression derived from these research experiences.” Ballengée participated in the 2005 Venice Biennale.